Flåmsbana

A nice ride

We had to get up very early to make it back to Flåm to take the Flåmsbana trip (it’s one of the most popular Norway activities; part of the “Norway in a Nutshell” tour). When we arrived (extra early), we started to have some reservations. First, there were some cruise ships docked, which usually means crowds. Second, nothing was open yet and we wanted breakfast.

As we walked around, the train started gearing up and I noticed a small sign on the door with the day’s schedule. Interestingly, even though the attendant the day before had told us that the 8:00 a.m. train was the first of the day, the schedule listed an “extra train” at 7:10 a.m. So, I waited until the office opened and traded for the earlier train. The best thing we could have done!

After breakfast (things did eventually open up), we got in line and boarded with the few folks riding the extra train. We ended up with a car completely to ourselves. 

No crowd!

So, we were able to open the windows to shoot pictures and move back and forth to the opposite sides of the car. 

Great for shooting -- if the light would have been good

The only downside of the early train was that much of the trip was in deep shadow.

The Flåmsbana, a 12.6-mile railway line between Flåm and Myrdal, is a branch line of the Bergen Line that runs through the Flåmsdalen Valley and connects the mainline with Sognefjord. 

The pretty Flåmsdalen Valley

Its elevation change is 2,831 feet and it has ten stations, twenty tunnels (not great for photography) and one bridge. Because of its steep grade and picturesque nature, the Flåm Line is now almost exclusively a tourist service and has become the third-most visited tourist attraction in Norway. Construction started in 1924, but it didn’t open until 1940 and it switched to electric in 1944.

Along the route are waterfalls ...

Dramatic scenery

... livestock ...

Goats!

... the rushing Kjosfossen ...

Two angles

... a spiral tunnel ...

Moving down the mountain

... and a few houses ...

Brightly colored

Steep!

You can also see the very steep construction road (Rollingvagen) that is now used as a bicycle path.

The Berekvam Station is the only station to have a passing loop and thus the only location on the line where trains can meet. 

On the way up, we did not see another train, but on the way down we did pass the next train out – the one we were originally scheduled to ride. It was packed. 

Yay for the nearly empty extra train.

Coming into the station

After we reached Myrdal, some passengers got off (some with bicycles to ride down) and some got on. 

Myrdal

Then we retraced the route. Oddly, when we stopped at Kjossfossen (the only place we can get out on the route), Scott and I both noticed ruins of a stone house that we hadn’t seen before. 

Ruins

Almost as soon as we saw it, very loud and very weird music started blaring and a person dressed in orange robes emerged and began dancing. It’s part of the tourist schtick. 

Weird -- and unnecessary

But, with the odd wigs and too-loud music, it was a bit cheesy.

The trip back down was a little easier to photograph because it was a bit lighter, but shooting from a moving train is tricky.

Another waterfall

In the final analysis, I don’t think the Flåmsbana is worth the time and money IF you are in the possession of a rental car. If you are on a tour and mass transit is the only way to see scenery, then do it. But, you can find much better views in a car.

Pretty, but ...

Still, had we not done it, we would have thought we missed something!

You need to do all the things

Trip date: August 19-September 9, 2014